je ne sais quoi

[zhuh n^uh se kwa]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

French.

an indefinable, elusive quality, especially a pleasing one.
She has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everybody.

je ne sais quoi

/ ��ə�Բ��ɲ� /

noun

an indefinable quality, esp of personality

je ne sais quoi

That little something; a quality that eludes description: “The Mona Lisa's smile has a certain je ne sais quoi.” From French, meaning “I don't know what.”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of je ne sais quoi¹

Literally, “I don't know what”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of je ne sais quoi¹

literally: I don't know what

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It may not exactly be chic, but for Paris luxury fashion house Chanel, this road has a certain je ne sais quoi.

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Dr. Pouget is trying to apply chemical precision to this je ne sais quoi.

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�� we learn is that Fury owes his entire je ne sais quoi to these creatures.

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It requires a certain je ne sais quoi.

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And I think when it comes down to beauty, personality, style, attitude, the way we move, the way we talk ... most women have a certain je ne sais quoi about them but ...

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When To Use

�� does je ne sais quoi mean?

Je ne sais quoi literally means "I don't know what" in French.The phrase was borrowed into English as an expression of a quality that makes something or someone attractive, distinctive, or special in some way, but is hard to put into words.

Jena Jenghis Khan

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